There was a push by a few Darke County media people two weeks ago on social media for Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association members to vote Tri-Village senior guard Rylee Sagester as Ms. Basketball.
Cincinnati Purcell Marian sophomore Dee Alexander was named Ms. Basketball on Thursday, and deservedly so.
I remember Cincinnati-area reporters talking about her last year and the great campaign she had as a freshman during the Cavaliers’ Division III state championship campaign.
However, by the time November rolled around and Sidney was set to play Purcell in an invitational tournament at Cincinnati Sycamore, I had forgotten about her. I was expecting Purcell to be roughly equivalent to their teams that had close games against Versailles and Anna in postseason play from 2018 to 2021, and for Sidney to be competitive.
It didn’t take long for Alexander to jog my memory. She scored 20 points and had 12 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. The Cavaliers dominated from the start and won 68-43.
One play stands out. After a Sidney basket, Alexander raced back down the court and took a pass, only to have a defender reach and bobble it. Alexander didn’t break her stride, managed to grab the ball out of the air, went right under the basket and made a shot off the glass. It still ranks as the most athletic move I’ve seen this year.
Purcell Marian (25-2) moved up to Div. II this year. The squad beat Bryan 61-47 on Thursday in a state semifinal and will play for a title on Saturday morning. It has won 12 consecutive games (including all postseason games) by double digits.
Alexander, a 6-foot-1 forward who already has over 30 collegiate offers, is averaging about 26 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and 2.5 steals per game. She has shot about 61 percent from the field this year.
Sagester, a 5-7 guard, signed with Marshall last November. She has put up great numbers this year: 21 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 3.8 assists. Those don’t match Alexander’s — and Alexander’s came against a (much) stronger schedule.
The campaign by the Darke County contingent (let’s call a spade a spade, they’re homers) wasn’t without results, though. Sagester, who will try to lead Tri-Village to the D-IV title on Saturday afternoon, finished runner-up in voting.
Among the people she finished ahead of in voting are Loudonville junior Corri Vermilya and Toledo Start junior Sinai Douglass. Vermilya, an Ashland commit, averaged 29.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, 6.5 steals and 3.1 assists per game. Douglass couldn’t manage to crack the top four in voting, despite averaging 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and five steals per game. She has offers from Iowa and Xavier, among others.
Sagester is good, but comparing her results to the other Ms. Basketball candidates, it’s hard to understand how she came close to the honor.
Billing has been the sports editor of the Sidney Daily News since 2017. He can be reached at [email protected].
